Innocence and Instinct
by TeenageNeko
Summary: ADOPTED BY FAIRYCHICK1025.
1. Chapter 1

_**Innocence and Instinct: Chapter One**_

"Allen, if you want to eat I suggest you get your hiney over here!"

Fifteen year-old Allen Walker ran over to his foster father, Mana Walker. His feet made a thump-thump kind of sound that soon had him humming along. He lunged at his father and gave him a bear hug.

"Great!" he said cheerfully, "Whats for dinner?"

Mana smiled and motioned to a picture sitting on the windowsill. "The Kozoku's invited us over for dinner; they also said something about a job…" Before he could finish Allen began to rant, "A job! Really, a job! For who? Me? You? If it's for me I hope it's not too boring 'cause I get antsy when I have to sit still, but if it's for you I hope it's boring 'cause I don't want you to get a back-ache..." his voice trailed off. He looked at Mana. "Who's the job for?"

Mana tapped his chin. "Well… He didn't say… All he said is that his family's bar has an open spot and he's looking for an extra worker." He looked at Allen with a smile. "Better you than me. As much as I hate to admit it, I'm getting old. Bars get a bit wild if the "wrong" person comes in, and you also have to deal with the drunks…"

Allen frowned, "A bar?"

Mana put a hand on his shoulder. "Look, I know you don't like bars… That night... I know it scared you but one of us has to get a job. We're poor Allen, poor." He sighed. "We should've stayed at the circus."

Allen nodded. "I guess so."

"But…"

Allen looked at him.

"…if we did stay, they probably would've found out about your arm. Who knows how they would've reacted."

Suddenly feeling self-conscious, Allen clutched his left arm and gave it a soft squeeze. His short-sleeved shirt allowed him to feel the rough skin, its texture a strange mix between scaly and wrinkled. "Yeah… I'm glad they never found out."

Mana turned around and walked to his room. "Hey," he called over his shoulder. "Go get ready. We're leaving in thirty minutes."

Allen nodded and walked to his own room. Once inside, he changed out of his t-shirt and jeans. He paused and looked at his reflection. Brown hair. Brown eyes. Pale skin. Deformed arm. His gaze fell on his reddish left arm. He had been born with it. Red in color, rough to the touch—a horrifying limb. It wasn't just his arm that was deformed either, his hand, shoulder, even his fingernails were messed up. They were a deep black, reminding Allen of ink. On the top of his hand was a cross-like marking that gave off an eerie green glow. In a nutshell, the whole thing was jacked up.

With a sigh, he put on a nicer shirt and folded the collar up. He tied a thin piece of ribbon around his neck and slipped a pair of gloves on. His confidence went up due to his hand being covered. He marched out of the room, ready to take on the world.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Allen and Mana set off to town on foot.

"Hey Mana, do you think Bella still remembers us?"

"Of course she does. It hasn't been that long."

Allen huffed. "I don't know… It's been pretty long."

The Kozoku family was one of the wealthier families in the town. They owned several different buildings: a hospital, a restaurant and, of course, the bar. The parents, Hana and Reed Kozoku, had seven children—the youngest being Bella, who was three years-old. A few of the older ones picked on Allen for his height; they were the same age as him but taller. Mana trusted the family greatly, he hardly kept any secrets from them, heck, they even knew about Allen's arm!

The thought of them knowing made Allen feel a bit exposed. He clutched his arm and began to breathe roughly. Mana noticed the action and leaned over. "Is something wrong?"

"No," said Allen. "It's just… I haven't gotten used to them knowing about…" He looked down at his arm. "…my arm." He said sheepishly.

Mana nodded.

_Flashback_

_After falling out of a tree, Allen injured himself. He had been taken to the hospital by the eldest child of the Kozoku's and was waiting for examination. When the time came, he freaked out and refused to let anyone remove his bloody shirt._

_"No!" he pleaded. "Please don't!"_

_The doctor did his best to calm Allen down. "Now, now, settle down, we only want to help you feel better! Just let we take a look at the wound…"_

_"NO!" Allen backed up into a corner. He crouched down and began to shake his head. "No! Please no! Y-you can't!" His eyes wandered around the room with frantic speed. "I-I don't want you to…" His voice trailed off._

_The doctor crouched down at eyelevel and gestured for him to continue. "Yes? You don't want me to what?"_

_"I-I don't want you to…look. Don't look. Don't look at it. Its scares me." Allen began to whimper._

_The doctor slowly scooted over to the cowering boy. "What scares you? What do you not want me to look at?"_

_Allen looked down at his left arm. He clutched it to his chest and held it there. "This. It scares me… It scares them… They looked, they ran away and they never came back…" A tear rolled down his cheek. "They looked and now they hate me..."_

_The doctor felt sympathy overwhelm his other emotions. The boy had obviously gone through something terrible._

_"They all run away…They all run away…" He continued to go on. "They…all…ran…"_

_The doctor gasped. His patient had gone into unconsciousness. "Hey!" He yelled, "Nurse!"_

_She arrived. Her name was Maria Kozoku. She was the one who had brought him to the hospital; she would also be the first one to see._

_"Okay," Said the doctor. "I'll hold him down; you pull that shirt off so we can see the injury." He instructed._

_"Yes sir." She walked over to them and kneeled down. She grabbed the corner of his shirt and slowly peeled it off. The blood had made it stick to his body in a rather gruesome fashion._

_"Okay, now peel the left sleeve off and we'll be able to examine him."_

_She obeyed, going in for the final action. Slowly, but carefully she began to peel it off his left shoulder. A red spot caught her eye. "Huh?" She pulled it farther and to her horror, half of his shoulder was half red. She began to work faster, each second feeling like an hour. She choked in surprise once the whole thing came off._

_It was shredded._

_It was deformed._

_It was simply revolting and gruesome. It was shaped like arm, but everything about it… The whole limb was soaked in blood, adding onto the appearance._

_A scream tore from her lips as realization hit her. This was the reason. She had always questioned his gloves, especially in the summer. Now she knew._

_The doctor was equally horrified. Being the older one, he tried to keep it together but the sight was just…gross. Wrong. Demonic. Evil._

_So that was why they ran. They ran from that demonic arm._

_End Flashback._

Allen shuddered. Even though he had been out of it, he still heard everything. Their screams, their cries—they had been scared of him. Reed and Hana ran in and freaked out too. It took a lot of explaining from Mana to clear things up, but his relationship with them would never be the same. Oh yes, he was expecting stares. He knew that the news of his deformity had traveled to the younger siblings without a doubt.

_Crap,_ he thought. _Crap._

His hand twitched, sending a shiver up his arm. "Ah…ow…" He peeled the glove off his left hand and inspected it.

"Allen, we need to go."

He looked at Mana with pain in his eyes.

"Come one…" The older man's voice trailed off. He looked at Allen with a frown. "It's hurting again?"

Allen began to nurse his hand. "Yeah…I don't know why… The weather hasn't changed at all; normally it only hurts on rainy days."

Mana nodded.

Allen's hand would react to the weather. If it was hot, the cross mark would begin to burn. If it snowed, his hand would itch. And if it was raining, his arm would twitch. It wasn't raining, yet his arm was twitching.

"I don't understand," mumbled Allen. He put the glove back on and looked at Mana. "I'll bear will it, let's go."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

When they finally arrived at the Kozoku's home it was sunset.

A loud growl came from Allen's stomach. He gave a soft chuckle and began to think about food. _Oh food… Glorious food! Mouthwatering food!_ Wow he was hungry. Really, really hungry.

He began to rub his hands together. _Mmmmm… As rich as they are, they must eat like kings. Fat happy kings…_

Mana chuckled when he saw Allen. "Scheming?"

"Kinda'…"

Mana knocked on the door. It was opened by a chubby boy with blond hair. A jack-o'-lantern grin spread across the boys face. He ran into another room and came back with a woman. She smiled and reached out for hug.

After being greeted by the woman and child, He and Allen were led into the family room.

Bella was sitting on the ground playing blocks, the boy with the jack-o'-lantern grin was petting a dog, several other kids were scattered around the house, but he didn't see Maria.

Mana looked at Allen, searching for fear. The boys face was still. Eyes positioned straight ahead, mouth in a half-smile. He spoke up, "Um, er, Allen?"  
"Yeah?"

"Nervous?"

Allen nodded slowly.

"I see… Just don't worry. Maria isn't mad at you for keeping your arm a secret."

"Okay."

The okay was somewhat unsure, but a bit of confidence edged around it, giving Mana a little relief. "Yeah…. Just don't worry, and if you can, try to have a little fun." With those words, he gave a big smile and ruffled Allen's hair.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Shortly after they arrived dinnertime came.

Allen looked down at his hands, shuffling them nervously. He hadn't expected to be so…nervous. The Kozoku's were friends. Not judges. Friends. He looked at Mana.

The older man seemed to be fine—his normal jokey self, but Allen wasn't feeling that good. His left hand began to twitch, sending shivers up his arm and ending at his shoulder. The twitching grew faster, until it became very noticeable.

"Allen?"

Allen looked at Mana, his twitching continuing. "Y-y-yes?"

"Is it acting up again?"

"Y-y-yeah," He said. He pressed his arm to his chest in order to control the twitching. His action hardly helped. It also didn't help that Reed Kozoku noticed.

"Allen, is something wrong?"

"I-its th-the air!"

Reed frowned, his brow furrowing deeply. He stood and walked over to Mana. He leaned down and whispered something in the other man's ear.

Allen frowned. _They're talking about me. I hate that._

After a minute of talking, Reed walker over to Allen and nudged him. "Hey."

Allen looked at him, "Hm?"

"Come with me, we're going to take a look at that arm of yours."

Oh crap… Allen frowned, instantly glancing at Mana. His foster father was calm, almost too calm… Realization hit Allen like a Frisbee. Mana had asked Reed to do it. _Darn him…. He…._

"Allen?"

"I'm coming, hold on a sec." Allen jumped out of his seat and followed the man to his office. Once inside, he took a seat in front of the desk and gave a nod. "Uh…"

"Your arm. Let me see."

Allen held his twitching arm out and allowed Reed to remove the glove. After a few minutes of touching and mumbling to himself, Reed asked Allen a question: "How long have you had this….."

"My whole life," Allen said matter-o-factly. "I was born with it." He sighed. "My whole life I've lived with this thing… I really am sorry for the scare I gave Maria. We had been good friends…." _Maybe more…_

_Flashback_

_"Maria!"_

_Allen grinned, the corners of his mouth stretching up. The boy was playing with his best friend—Maria. He rounded a corner and found himself staring at one of the biggest trees he had ever seen. And perched on the top branch was Maria herself._

_"Wow," he breathed. With a grunt, he boosted himself onto a branch, then another, then another. Soon, he was at the top with her._

_"Allen," said the girl. Her hand slowly slid closer to his. "I think…we're best, best friends… Ya' know?"_

_Allen eyed her hand and slowly began to slide his over. "Yeah… I think so too."_

_Their hands met._

_"Allen?"_

_"Hm?"_

_"I think I'm gunna miss you when I go to medical school."_

_"Oh, I'll miss you too Maria."_

_For a while there was nothing but the sound of wind rocking the tree gently._

_"Allen?"_

_"Yes?"_

_"I… Never mind."_

_"No, what?"_

_"It's nothing… I gotta go. See you, well, once I finish."_

_Allen nodded and watched her climb down. He was going to miss her._

_"Goodbye Maria…"_

_End Flashback._

Allen sighed. He had severed the relationship that they had worked so hard to build. It was his fault. That stupid arm…

A sharp pain in his hand brought Allen back. He looked up and saw Reed tapping the center of his cross-shaped scar.

"Ow," he mumbled.

Reed froze. "Uh, I'm not hurting you, am I?"

"Actually, you are." Allen snatched his hand away and shoved the glove back on. He stood up and walked away, leaving Reed to ponder his condition.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Allen looked at Mana with a smug expression.

"Don't ever let another person prod me again."

Mana looked at him, surprised. "He prodded you?"

"Yes, he prodded me." Allen slumped down into his seat and crossed his arms over his chest. "I feel like a guinea pig."

"Oh come on, it couldn't have been that bad!"

Allen began to rub his hand. "Well, I guess not…but it still hurt….bad."

Hana walked into the room, earning angry glares from her family.

"Geeze!" exclaimed Reed. "You really kept us waiting, didn't you honey!"

"Oh shuh'tup. It's not like you all haven't eaten today."

"We have," he motioned to Mana and Allen, "but they haven't."

Hana gasped. Apparently she hadn't been informed that the Walkers were joining them. She ran over and gave Mana a big handshake, which left the man groaning.

"Ow… She's stronger than a grown man… Oh ow…."

Allen gulped when her eyes landed on him. _Oh no…_

Hana grabbed his hand, the wrong one, and shook it franticly. "Oh Allen! Look how much you've grown!"

"It's been three months!"

"I know, but-"

***RIP***

Allen began to tremble. His eyes wandered down to his deformed hand. It had changed, bursting out of the glove.

Hana immediately let go and began to back away. She opened her mouth in a silent scream.

Allen held his hand up in front of his face—which was also in everyone's view. He gasped. The change was alarming.

The skin had changed color and texture, becoming silver and smooth like metal. Wicked curved claws replaced his fingers, each one sharp and deadly. The fingernails disappeared, it looked unnatural. A small blood red cross was printed on the top. And to add onto all that his shoulder felt really weird too.

His jaw dropped as he inspected farther. It was all just so…wrong. So, so wrong.

He looked at Mana with his eyes pleading for an answer. _Please don't freak out. Please Mana, what do I do?_

To his surprise, Mana stood up and walked over to him with a calm expression. "Hey," he said. "We should probably leave."

Allen nodded dumbly and allowed Mana to help him up.

The two former clowns padded out of the room silently, leaving the Kozoku family without an answer for Allen's sudden transformation.

Before going through the door, Allen turned his head and looked over his shoulder. A sudden flash blinded him for a brief moment. Once the light cleared, he was able to recognize the figure.

Blond hair… Brown eyes… Light skin… It was… Oh.

Much to Allen's surprise, it was Maria. She was holding a camera, her eyes glued to his transformed limb. For a second Allen could almost hear her voice.

_"Allen… I think we're best, best friends… Ya' know?"_

His eyelids began to droop. The background began to fade.

_"I think I'm gunna miss you when I go to medical school."_

Everything around him turned gray, but that didn't matter—his eyes were already closed.

_"Allen?"_

Maria.

_"I… Never mind."_

What is it?

_"It's nothing… I gotta go. See you, well, once I finish."_

No Maria. Don't go.

_"Allen…"_

Maria… Don't leave just yet…

_"Allen…"_

Please don't…

_"Allen."_

No… No…

"ALLEN!"

A bucket of ice-cold water was dumped on Allen.

He rolled off the couch, choking. _What the… Who did that?_ He looked up and saw Mana. He rubbed his eyes and squinted. "Mana?"

"Feeling any better?" asked Mana. "You passed out when we left the Kozoku's house."

Allen tried to stand up. His actions didn't help, he fell on his butt. "Ow…"

"Don't try to stand," said Mana. He helped Allen back on the couch. "You should rest. Your arms transformation seems to have drained a bunch of your energy."

_Transformation… Whats he talking abou- OH YEAH!_ Allen threw his left hand in front of his face and stared at it with wide eyes. The claws had gotten sharper and grown longer, the whole arms size had increased as well. Just looking at it Allen could tell that he wouldn't be able to fit gloves on anymore.

"Wow…"

"Yeah," agreed Mana. He tossed something to Allen.

Allen caught it and held it up. It was a white button-up shirt. _What do I…?_ He realized that he was shirtless. _Oh…I see._

He stuffed his right arm into a sleeve and carefully began to inch the other sleeve over his left arm. _Steady… Steady… Good._ He grinned over his victory, then thought of his uncovered hand. _Aw crap._

Mana spoke after Allen had put the shirt on, "You know, I think there might be someone who can help you."

Allen perked. "Really?"

"Yeah… She lives far away, but she'd defiantly be able to help you get your arm back to the way it was." Mana began to tap his chin. "Let's see… Her name is…"

Allen leaned forward. "Her name is…"

"Darn it, it's on the tip of my tongue! Oh yeah!" Mana snapped his fingers. "Her name is Kusuri Busshu; she's a skilled Medicine woman and has a great understanding of the spiritual realm."

"Whats spiritual have to do with anything?" piped Allen.

"Well, ya' know… Just a feeling."

Allen thought hard. _Okay… She might be able to change my arm back…that's good. Wait a minute… Mana should be freaking out right now. He carried me out of the Kozoku's house as if it were normal. Did he expect something to happen?_

"Mana?"

"Hmm?"

"When my arm changed… Why didn't you freak out?"

Mana tapped his foot in a thoughtful sort of way. "Well, I lived in a circus for more than half of my life. I saw some strange things in that time. Some even stranger than your arm. I didn't freak out when I saw your arm after I met you, did I? This is nothing."

Allen thought back at his time in the circus.

A few days after accepting Mana's offer, Allen was attempting to do cartwheels. He slammed into a crate, tearing his shirts sleeve off and revealing his arm. Mana had run over, thinking it was blood and knelt down to clean it up. He tried to wipe the "blood" off, eventually realizing that there was no blood. It was flesh. Red flesh. Only a bit of surprise showed in the man's eyes. He didn't flip out or do anything like that. The only thing he did after discovering that the boy had a deformity was telling him to put on a clean shirt.

Allen smiled, thinking about his circus days. They had been pleasant days, sure he and Mana had fights and ran into trouble, but when it came down to things—it had truly been pleasant.

Mana gave a nod and turned to leave. "I'll fetch you a pair of mittens and maybe a coat. That shirts a little see-through, we don't want to take any chances."

Allen nodded and asked, "Then can we leave?"

"Eh?" Mana frowned and closed his eyes in thought. "Well… Let's wait until you're completely healed."

"Healed?" Allen jumped up. "I am completely healed!"

Mana shook his head. "No, not quite. We'll leave in the morning. That will give you plenty of time to rest."

Allen pouted. "Fine."

"Good. Now I'll get those."

_Wait… Why do I need mittens? Can't I just wear my… oh yeah._ Allen held his arm up and stared at it dumbly. _It got bigger._

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Footsteps echoed through the large church.

A girl slowly walked over to three figures standing at the front. She looked at the tallest with a frown. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes and began to stream down her cheeks.

"P-please help him!"

She held a picture out to the tall figure. It snatched the photo and examined it.

"Parasitic," said a rough male voice. "He's a parasitic type."

"Alright," agreed a softer, more cheerful male voice. "We've gotten closer to getting the innocence!"

"Good," said the softest, it was clearly female. "Could you tell us more about your friend? We know how to help him."

"O-okay… I found out a while ago and I think I scared him or made him upset." The girl looked down at her feet. "I-I screamed. It was hideous. I didn't know what else to do, an-and he just sat there…dazed." Her crying got louder, "Oh- *hic* I- *hic* I… *hic* I…" She reached up and rubbed her eyes. "I really am sorry, just can't get a grip on myself. Oh I- *hic* Oh no, not again…"

The rough male growled, "Hey! Are you going to cry or are you going to tell us about your boyfriend's innocence?"

"Boyfriend?" The girl blushed. "Well, he is cute, but that doesn't matter now. I'm engaged."

The softer male's mouth dropped. "E-engaged! A girl as young as you are!"

"I'm sixteen."

"That's still pretty young."

The rough male growled; it was much louder than the last. "Can we just get the innocence and go?"

"Alright, no need to get so touchy."

The soft-voiced male leaned over and patted the girl on the back. "Thanks for the picture. That should make things easier for us!"

"O-okay… Good luck!"

She waved until they were out of sight.

Millions of stars filled the sky, each one glowed brightly.

_God…you have patience and love to take care of every single star… Could you help him? Chould you help me? I'm scared. I'm confused. I don't understand any of it. I'm smart, God, but not enough to understand what happened to my own friend… Please keep him safe… Please! Hold onto him tight and don't let go. For once God, for once…_

Yes.

_Please help…_

I will child.

_Please help him…_

He is loved by God.

_Please help…Allen Walker._

**_A/N: _**Well, this has been in my documents for a while! I'm glad that I finally posted it! Yeah, here's some info: I mentioned allen wearing jeans, we'll pretend that they had jeans back then. The Kozoku family and Maria will make more appearences. Allen's transformed arm looks like a smaller version of his anti-akuma weapon. If you see a fic similer to this one, please note that this is based on one of my strange dreams. My dream was really weird... Thats all I'm gunna say. Please feel free to point out grammar and spelling mistakes! And be sure to review!

TeenageNeko, out.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Innocence and Instinct: Chapter Two **_

Mana looked down at Allen's sleeping form.

The brunette was sprawled on the couch in a position that looked quite uncomfortable, but the sound of his snores and the content look on his face told otherwise. His chest rose and fell slowly, his breathing smooth. His clawed hand gave an occasional twitch.

"I can't believe it…" Mana shook his head. Why him? Why did it have to be Allen?

"M-mommy…"

_He's sleep-talking_, thought Mana.

"Mommy… Where did mommy go?"

Mana's eyes widened. He bit his lip and looked down at the smaller boy with concern in his eyes. "Uh, she left Allen. Go back to bed."

"But…she said she'd take me to the park…"

_What…? Oh, that day… _Mana cleared his throat. "Just go back to bed."

"No… N-no… I can't… No more, it's… It hurts!"

Mana frowned. He inched over to his foster son. "What hurts? Is it your hand?"

In his sleep, Allen clutched his hand and began to cry. "Y-yes! It hurts! D-daddy did it again!"

Fear began to fill Mana. He grabbed Allen's shoulders and began to shake him. "Allen! Wake up!"

"N-no! No! No daddy! No!"

"Wake up Allen!" Tears began to seep out of Mana's eyes. "Allen!"

The room became silent.

"Allen?"

The boy slowly sat up. He turned and looked at Mana with sadness in his eyes. "Mana, why didn't you leave me like my parents did?"

Mana frowned. "Allen," he said slowly, "I'd never leave you. And besides, I don't think your parents abandoned you, I think they loved you very much-"

"Then why'd they dump me in the crummy orphanage?" growled Allen, "Why didn't my mom even tell me she was leaving me, why?"

"Allen," said Mana, "calm down. That's in the past, this is the present."

Allen looked crestfallen, but he did understand. The past couldn't be changed.

"Alright, go get dressed and then we'll start off."

The sad, slightly rebellious look faded from Allen's face and was replaced with excitement. "Okay!" he said as he ran to his room.

Mana let out a sigh of relief. He wouldn't have to dump the whole story on Allen just yet, he had time.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Ready?"

"Ready."

Allen grinned and hefted his knapsack.

They were starting their journey, the search for Kusuri Busshu the medicine woman, hoping that when they did find her she would help fix Allen's arm.

Allen pulled his glove halfway off and stole a glance of the smooth white surface of his wrist. He hadn't gotten used to that yet.

"Allen?"

"Yeah," muttered Allen, his gaze still on his wrist.

"I thought you said you were ready."

"Oh!" Allen pulled the glove down and nodded quickly. "I am!" He marched over to Mana, who wore an amused expression.

"I am," he repeated.

Mana gave a small nod and pointed to a building in the distance. "Okay," he said, "we'll walk over to that building, catch a train to Mount Chills then continue on foot."

"Mount chills?" asked Allen. He felt something come over him, something cold and lonesome. "M-mana?" he breathed, "Can we go now? Something doesn't feel right…" He began to sway.

Mana reached out and placed a hand on the boy to steady him. "Yeah Allen, we should get going…"

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Allen fell asleep ten minutes after the train left the station, which left Mana with quiet to think in.

_Geeze,_ he thought, _Allen sleeps more than anyone I've ever met. I wonder what the kid dreams about…_ His thoughts trailed off.

He looked out the window, hoping to rid himself of the lonely feeling that crept upon him.

The train passed farm after farm and even more farms.

"Wow," Mana said aloud, "I've never seen so many farms in a row." He watched the green fields turn into rough dirt. _We must be exciting the town,_ he thought. _I bet there will be more farms on the way back…_

Allen grunted in his sleep, his clawed hand began to shake.

Mana placed a finger on the top of the claw and began to move it in circles.

The gentle gesture brought peace back to Allen, his shaking stopped and he resumed his nap.

Mana smiled and closed his eyes. Sleep sure did sound good after the all-nighter he pulled while preparing for their trip. Just a little nap…

_"Mana, why didn't you leave me like my parents did?"_

Mana winced.

_"Then why'd they dump me in that crummy orphanage!"_

She loved you Allen!

_"Why didn't my mom even tell me she was leaving, why!"_

J-Julia loved you! Your Mother, Julia Walker, loved you!

For a second it was like Mana left his body and went into a memory. It was blurry, but not blurry enough for him to forget.

_Flashback_

_"Mana!" Twenty-two year-old Julia Walker threw herself on the ground and began to cry. "Mana, please help me!"_

_"What is it Julia?"_

_"John…has… He's finally lost it!" The woman held a bundle out. "He said he'd kill Allen!"_

_Mana reached out and took the bundle. He let out a gasp when a high-pitched cry sounded from inside the fabric. He grabbed the tip and folded it over, revealing a brown-haired baby. "Th-this?" gasped Mana, he pointed a shaking finger at the baby. "John said he would kill a child!"_

_Julia's cries grew louder, mixing with her baby's._

_Mana fumed. To him, John wasn't that kind of person. He clenched his fists and yelled, "No! My brother isn't a killer! He wouldn't kill a baby, heck, he wouldn't a person! What in God's name would drive him towards something like that!"_

_Julia didn't answer._

_"This child… Something's wrong with him."_

_Still no answer._

_"I'm right, aren't I?"_

_Mana pulled the cloth off. His eyes widened. A huge glove several sizes too big was covering the baby's left hand. With a growl, he grabbed the glove and prepared to rip it off._

_"NO!"_

_Julia leapt up and snatched the child away. She cradled it to her chest and looked down at her feet. Tears began to drip out of her eyes, each one splashing onto the ground and gradually forming a small puddle._

_Mana walked over to the crying woman and placed a hand on the baby's back. "Julia," he said softly, "let me see."_

_"N-no…" Julia's grip tightened. "Allen isn't a monster… He's an innocent child."_

_"Then why won't you let me see? Why do you hide whatever is wrong with his hand?"_

_Julia froze._

_"Are you telling me he isn't a monster? Or are you telling yourself that? If he's normal let me see!"_

_Julia shook her head._

_"So you won't let me see him because he is a monster"_

_"Shut up!" shrieked Julia, "J-just shut up!" She began to tremble. "He was born with it, it's not his fault!" She held the babe out. "Take him. Go ahead and look."_

_Mana took the child and gulped. He peeled the glove off and prepared himself for the worse. Apparently the worst wasn't enough._

_"What the… What the heck is this thing!"_

_Julia gasped._

_Mana held the child several feet away from his face. "This arm… What is he!"_

_"HE'S A BABY!" Julia snatched the baby away and turned her back towards him. "I trusted you Mana! How the heck could you betray my trust!" Tears of anger, sadness, and hate poured out of her eyes. "I can't believe you Mana; you're just like everyone else! You see someone different and immediately judge them!"_

_"Where the heck are you getting all that!" Yelled Mana, "What do you mean!"_

_"You know what I mean. You're just so…so…judgmental!" With those words, she ran, ignoring his calls for her to come back._

_::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::_

_Mana's eyes widened when he read the address on the letter he'd received. He hadn't seen his sister-in-law for four years, the last time being their argument. He opened it, sweat dripping down his face._

_To his surprise, it wasn't bearing bad news._

_Dear Mana, _it read_, you were right about John. His threat to kill Allen was only something said out of blind anger. He managed to keep his cool for two years but when Allen got older he began to beat him. I was scared. We're moving tomorrow and, sadly, we have to leave Allen behind. I'm taking him to the orphanage on Kings Street. If you ever see him again, promise me you'll show him love._

_Sincerely, Julia Walker_

_Mana furrowed his brow. Beat him? So John hadn't been as sane as he thought._

_The man let out a sigh. Life had just gotten crazier._

_::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::_

_It was a Saturday, also known as Mana's day off._

_The man was deep in thought as he walked to his favorite coffee shop. He tapped his feet and listened to the beat, he got so into it that he hardly noticed a small child run into him._

_"Yikes!"_

_Mana watched the child scramble backwards then stand there motionless, his eyes glued to the older man._

_Mana guessed that the child was lost for words. He opened his mouth only to realize that he was just as lost._

_"I'm sorry!" The two males yelled in unison._

_Mana frowned and the child went wide-eyed._

_"Well that didn't work," muttered Mana. He looked at the child and smiled warmly. "Hello, my name is Mana. Sorry about…not moving…"_

_The child nodded, and from what Mana could see, he was a bit confused._

_"Is everything alright?" Mana waved a hand in front of the child's face. "Hello? You okay?"_

_"Oh! Sorry!" The child pulled down the hood of his jacket and smiled. "Hi mister Mana," he said cheerfully. "I'm Allen!_

_Mana gasped. The boy had Julia's hair! Not only that, but he also had her eyes! It was his sister-in-law's child!_

_Wait._

_That also means…_

_Mana looked at the child's left arm. It was wrapped in bandages; a large glove added extra coverage. Oh yeah, it was defiantly him._

_Mana stood speechless, all he could do was stare. Had he really been afraid of that child? He was so small, so helpless looking… Easy prey on the streets._

_"What are you doing alone?" The words came out a bit harsher than he meant, but they got the desired results._

_"I… They, um, I mean me…" Allen sighed. He hung his head. "I was turned down again."_

_"Turned down?"_

_"Yeah…" Allen drew little circles in the dirt with the tip of his boot. He stopped and gave a nervous laugh. "Ya' know," he said, "It's like some kind of store! Childless couples as shoppers and kids as merchandise, and…the," Allen's lip began to quiver, "the unwanted kids as clearance."_

_Sympathy formed in Mana's heart. So that was an orphanage, a place where only the 'best' kids got chosen._

_The sympathetic feeling grew stronger as Allen continued._

_"You see," said Allen, "the couple comes in and tells the person in charge what they want; the last couple that I met asked for a seven year-old brunette, I was the only one there that matched the description so they looked at me." Allen stopped and grasped his left arm; he began to finger a loose bandage. "It started off good, the man and I shared a lot of interests and the woman thought I," Allen gave a small blush, "looked cute, but after they saw…"_

_Mana held his breath._

_"…after they saw…" Allen's pupils shrunk and he began to shake. "They looked and they ran away, they hate m-me…" His movements became that of an animal—each one purely on instinct. He slowly backed away from Mana; each foot hit the ground and dug in slightly then repeated as he went farther._

_Mana watched in surprise as the meek child he had been talking to transformed into a beast._

_"Allen?"_

_The child opened his mouth and bared his teeth, the aggressiveness of the move shocked Mana._

_His gray eyes were glazed over with fear and hate; the two emotions mixed together and created an even stronger feeling._

_"N-no," he groaned, "stay back… I'm warning you!"_

_Mana ran over and grabbed the child by the shoulders. "Allen, snap out of it!" he yelled._

_Allen growled and tried to squirm free._

_Mana tightening his grip, but was careful not the hurt the child. He looked back down at Allen, ready to face the beast, but instead he found himself facing the meek child he started out with._

_"M-Mana… I…" Allen's voice was below a whisper._

_"Yes? What is it?" asked Mana._

_"I'm…sorry."_

_That broke the dam, tears rolled down Mana's eyes. He felt something larger than compassion and stronger than love fall over him—it was something fatherly._

_With a final sob, he placed Allen on the ground and stood up._

_The boy scrambled to his feet and looked up; he stared directly into Mana's eyes._

_"Allen," Mana said sternly, "I work at a circus that's near the park, it's been there for a year and we're hardly getting anyone to come. They're not able to pay me that much so I'm leaving to find work somewhere else. You're welcome to join me if you like."_

_Allen's mouth formed an O._

_"It wouldn't be a walk in the park, we'd have to work for food and find shelter -"_

_"I'll go."_

_Mana crouched down to Allen's level and looked him the eye. "Now listen, it'll be hard. You might have to go a few days without a bed."_

_"I'll go," repeated Allen._

_Mana grinned like an idiot. The hollow feeling that had formed in his chest while talking with the child had vanished as quickly as it appeared._

_After years of losing time after time, he had finally gained something._

_He had gained a son._

From that day on his life became an adventure. The odd pair traveled to different towns searching for work, along the way they'd meet new people, see new things, and even gain new enemies.

They never stayed in one place, each day brought new surroundings, and each surrounding brought even more adventure. It was like some kind of adventure novel, a never ending adventure novel.

They did stay in the circus for awhile; it was there that Mana "discovered" Allen's deformity. They only stayed for a few months, but that was long enough for the travelers. With legs itching for venturing and adrenaline pumping, they left for yet another place.

For four years they traveled. Four years searching for life, four years on the run, whatever you want to call it.

Four years also ended it.

_"Mana!" screamed Allen_

_"I'm coming Allen!" yelled Mana, he dug his heel in his horses side, signaling for it to go faster. The horse let out a loud neigh, then sped up._

_Allen had been kidnapped. It had taken Mana four days to find him, four days!_

_His search had taken him out of the state they were staying in and back, only to find that Allen had been hidden right under his nose. It was the states roughest bar, full of angry drunks and dangerous criminals, and Allen had been in there the whole freakin' time!_

_Mana growled and focused his sight on the black horse in front of him. Its rider had Allen tied up and tucked under his arm, the fact that the boy was without a gag made things worse. Mana couldn't stand hearing the boy's frightened cries._

_"Hey you!" roared Mana, "Give Allen back!"_

_"So hotheaded," sighed the kidnapper._

_Mana clenched his teeth. So the kidnapper was a cocky one? Two could play at that game._

_"And really," continued the kidnapper, "do you think I'm just going to hand the thing over?"_

_Mana grew even angrier, had he just called Allen a…a thing?He was going to pay!_

_Still, the kidnapper went on, "I'm afraid to say that would never happen. It's against my orders to fail this mission." He gulped. "I cannot fail or…he shall have my head. That is why I cannot simply "hand the boy over." He looked over his shoulder and glared at Mana with a pair of glowing yellow eyes. "You're a dead man, Mana Walker."_

_Mana squinted. The man was familiar… And why did he know his name? It was driving Mana insane. His son, Allen, was out of his reach and his kidnapper bore a resemblance to his brother John, except for the yellow eyes._

_Mana tried to get a better view. Was that gray skin? He frowned. A gray-skinned yellow-eyed John had decided to kidnap his own son? Weird…_

_"John!" he called. It couldn't be real. "John! Get back here!"_

_"You know," chuckled John, "you always were a loud one…brother." He stopped and turned his horse around. With an evil creepier laugh, he jumped off his ride and held the frightened boy in the air. "Come and get it Mana!" he said in a sing-song tone._

_Mana jumped off his own horse and ran over to Allen and his brother. "John!" he exclaimed "What is the meaning of this!"_

_"I just wanted to see my dear family," cooed John. He grinned when Mana had come to stand only inches away from him. "Hmmm, you've gotten older dear brother…" He reached out and placed a hand on Mana's cheek._

_Mana felt shivers go down his spine. The man couldn't be John. He didn't look like John, he didn't act like John, but…he sounded like John and…there was something just so…so John-ish about him. Mana felt his eyelids begin to droop. So sleepy… What! I- I- Allen…_

_A soft voice sounded in his ears. "Noah of illusions here, at your service."_

_"N-no," muttered Mana, his eyelids drooping farther. "I gotta…save Allen!"_

_"It's no use," purred John. He took his hand of Mana's cheek and used it to untie his prisoner. "I could just hand the boy over, but that wouldn't be any fun!"_

_Mana's eyes snapped open. "Allen!" He lunged for his son, but was knocked over by the man who Allen in his grasp. Mana yelped as a heel dug into his hand, it dug in deeper, blood began to seep from the wound._

_"J-John!" choked Mana, "Why did you do that?" He glanced at his brother. The man wore an insane grin; his yellow eyes were filled with evil intent. No, you can't be John… That isn't John._

_The Noah held Allen up higher and watched his struggled with an amused expression on his face. "This little boy of mine…" He lowered the boy and gazed at his left. "Aha! There it is!"_

_Allen gasped as the Noah yanked the glove of his hand and began to tap the center of the cross mark on his hand._

_"So this is innocence," remarked the Noah. He pushed his fingertip down as hard as he could._

_Allen screamed and began to thrash violently; his childish actions were beginning to shift into the beasts._

_Mana reached out to Allen, his hand was brought down by the Noah's other foot. "A-Allen… P-please spare him…"_

_The Noah paid no heed to his pleading; he simply pushed down harder, causing the thrashing child's actions to grow even more violent._

_Mana felt a hand close around his neck. He gasped._

_The Noah had shifted positions, now he was sitting on top of Mana's back with a hand closing in on his throat. "Hmmm, not that bright are you? You hardly even noticed your little things disappearance."_

_Mana looked around; Allen was nowhere to be seen._

_"Y-you bastard!" shrieked Mana._

_"Oh, I'm a bastard?" laughed the Noah. "I guess I must be because this is the most fun I've had since I dumped that little brat."_

_"Shut-up!" Mana yelled angrily "You're not John! Nor will you ever be!"_

_The Noah switched positions; he was now kneeled down in front of Mana with a sly smile. He leaned down to the human's level and whispered, "Aren't I?"_

_Then he vanished._

_Mana's eyes widened. He was standing up with Allen by his side, the horses had disappeared along with the Noah and his injures._

_"M-Mana," whispered Allen, "What just happened? That man touched my…" he clutched his ungloved hand and began to shake. "And then I…" He fell to the ground with a thud._

_Mana took the boy to the hospital; it took a week for them both to recover, and at the end of that week Allen's memories of the Noah disappeared. All he remembered was the happenings before the encounter. _

_End Flashback_

Mana looked down at the sleeping Allen and frowned. Upon his remembrance, things had gotten a lot weirder.

Everything tied together, he just didn't know how. The Noah he had encountered before called Allen's deformity "innocence", maybe that had to do with the arms sudden transformation. And then there was the boy's change of character. Not quite split personalities, but something similar. Maybe the innocence had some sort of value to the creatures called "Noahs". And maybe the change of character was made to _protect _that value.

It all tied together, Mana was sure.

_**A/N:**_ Wow *double-takes* Ten reviews for one chapter? I feel special...well, my mom told me that I was special a while ago so I guess I'm just specialer. Oh! Teh people who reviewed: XxXxSeriously InjuredxXxX, xXxXLavenxYullenxXxX, Jenaminya, Howlingwolf94, Allen the Musician, Seihi L, ShadowDragon94, Animelover175, Anime girl122, and Water Lily. Thanks guys! Every review brought a big BIG smile to my face! Lets see if we can get another ten reviews! If we do I will love you guys forever...in a friendly way. Info for this chapter: It was kinda hard to write the John/Noah scene, and I was a little unsure of it then I was like "Meh, who cares! They'll like it anyway!" Yeah... Mana is Allen's father's brother which makes him Allen's uncle but he's also his foster father. Interesting. *Passes chibi Allens out to reviewers* Thankyou, one and all.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Innocence and Instinct: Chapter Three**_

Silence filled the small room Allen and Mana were sharing. Both of the males were fast asleep, the boy with his butt stuck up in the air and face planted on the pillow while the older man was clutching his arms to his chest and muttering.

"They sure do sleep weird," laughed a light voice.

"Who cares about how they sleep?" growled a darker one.

"Quiet you guys!" snapped the lightest. "If they discover our presence I'm blaming you two!"

"Awwww!" sighed the light voice. "You are absolutely no fun!"

"Forget it," growled the lightest. "Let's go back to our room. Watching them isn't going to help us. We need them awake."

"Aye," agreed the light voice.

"Che!" huffed the darker.

With that, the voices vanished, their intent unknown.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"_Tiger, tiger, creature of the night… Where do you roam?"_

_Allen blinked in surprise, he looked around for the voice._

"_Tiger, tiger, beast of great fright… Where do you call home?"_

"_I dunno…" sighed Allen. The brunette placed a hand over his face and thought hard. "I don't know… Me and Mana…we…we've been lots of places." He finished while nodding and lowering his hand. _

"_Tiger, tiger, made up of light… Are you in the zone?" _

"_In the zone?" Allen asked with his nose wrinkled up and brow knitted together. _

_A soft hand brushed lightly up against his face. _

"_Whoa!" gasped Allen. It felt like energy was being poured into him, sweet energy._

_The voice slowly revealed itself to be a young woman with long white hair and animal furs with red stars printed on them. She almost looked like…_

"Mom?" Allen asked as he sat up.

He looked around the room. The only being besides himself was Mana.

"Wow," breathed Allen. The woman looked just like his mother…except for the white hair and animal skins. For a brief moment Allen wondered why the skins had stars printed on them. The idea of a white deer or bear with red stars almost made Allen laugh out loud. "A white deer with red stars…" he mused with a smile.

"Wha? A deer?" Mana sat up and rubbed his eyes. He looked at Allen with a frown. "Where's the deer?"

"Er, there is no deer." Allen said quietly.

Mana nodded, then looked at his foster son with a smile. "Hey, since we're both awake we should get a snack together!"

"A snack together…" echoed Allen.

"Yeah!" Mana said with a grin. He left the room and came back with two small bowls of ice-cream.

Allen frowned at looked down at the bowl in front of him. Normally he would've eaten the thing in a single bite, he might've even eaten the bowl by accident too, but now he simply stared at the dairy treat. "Mana," he said slowly. "I just thought of something."

"Whats that Allen?"

"Okay, how in the heck can we, two dirt poor former clowns, afford all this?"

Mana paused then went back to devouring his snack. "Shut up and eat your ice-cream."

Allen's eyes widened. "M-Mana! You didn't! Did you?"

Mana nodded.

"Y-you spent our emergency fund!"

Mana nodded again.

"Mana!" gasped Allen. "That was for emergencies only! Not ice-cream! You can't treat this like some kind of freakin' vacation!"

"You like ice-cream," Mana said. He looked at Allen with a weak smile.

Allen's mouth formed an O. He realized that Mana was trying to make him feel better. And emergency or not, the man would spend all he needed.

"Mana, I…"

"No need, "reassured the older man. "It was wise to think that way."

"Thanks," Allen said quietly.

"So!" Mana said after a long awkward silence. "Tell me about those white dear with red stars!"

"Uh… I saw them in a dream…"

"What happened in your dream?"

"Uh, er, there was this woman with white hair and she was wearing white animal skins with red stars on them…and she kinda looked like mother…" Allen's voice trailed off.

"You remember your mother?" Mana asked out of curiosity.

"Sort of," Allen said sadly. "I remember that she was beautiful with brown hair and gray eyes just like me. I also remember her being kind and warm. When she hugged me, the world melted away and it was just me and her…" Allen stopped for a moment. "And," he continued, "I also remember a man… He had brown hair and piercing green eyes. He loved mother, but not me. He hurt me several times, and one day… One day… One day he got rid of me for good. I never saw my mother again." Allen bit his lip and clenched his fists. The memories of his life before Mana and the orphanage were painful. Almost too painful to remember.

"Allen…"

Allen looked down at his empty bowl and smiled sadly. "Thanks Mana. I don't know where I'd be without you."

Mana nodded, his gaze planted on his feet.

"Oh, Mana…"

Mana looked up. "Hm?"

"About this "Kusuri Busshu"… How do you know of her?" asked Allen. He felt the need to know more of the mysterious woman. Mana trusted her, she had to be safe. But still…Allen wanted to know exactly who he was trusting with his arm, and possibly more.

"Well," Mana said while scratching his head thoughtfully, "I first heard of her when I was around your age. Someone in my town got very sick, doctors couldn't help him, so he decided to seek help from Kusuri. He returned three months later, spotless and clean as a newborn babe. All traces of disease had left him, along with traces of alcohol and cigars. It was remarkable, he was like a new man!" Mana closed his eyes in remembrance. "Yes, it was quite astonishing."

"W-wait, hold on a second!" Allen frowned, his face full of disbelief. "You mean we're chasing a legend from your past? Something…from years again!" He crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't refuse to belief it, I'd just like to know more about her… Don't want to be trusting a stranger with my arm…" He mentally slapped himself. _I said that out loud… _

Mana chuckled, "I see why you're doubting me! That was a long time ago! But…seeing isn't believing. Think about what happened to that man, he had never seen Kusuri, only heard of her. Yet he traveled far away without even knowing where to go…he was rewarded in the end. Good health and a fresh start. And…" Mana looked at Allen slyly, "You never let me finish…"

"Huh? You mean there's more?"

"Yeah," said Mana. He twisted around and gave his pillow a few whacks. "This is going to take a while. Heh heh heh…I hope you like long stories."

Allen went wide-eyed. _Oh no! This is puberty all over again! _

"Okay, "Mana cleared his throat, "After the man came back, a new sickness started. This time going to more than one person…"

"Excuse me sir!" A redhead wearing an eye patch burst into the room. He was wearing a shiny black coat and tall-ish boots, his face sported a cheeky/sly expression.

Allen made a mad dash to cover his arm. He succeeded by shoving it under his pillow.

Mana looked at the newcomer. "Yes…?"

The eye patch-wearing redhead extended his hand with a smile. "Name's Lavi! It's a pleasure to meet you Mana Walker!" His gaze traveled down to the nervous Allen. "I assume that's you foster son, Allen Walker! Come on, am I right?"

Mana took "Lavi's" hand and shook it. "Er, yes. But exactly how to you know our names?"

"Doesn't matter!" growled a rough voice. A tall Japanese man with long black hair positioned himself by Lavi. He was wearing a coat almost identical to the redheads, and on his face was a deep scowl.

"…And that's Yuu!" Lavi said cheerfully.

"Kanda!" growled the Japanese man. "It's Kanda! Don't call me Yuu again, stupid rabbit!" He sighed angrily and marched over to Allen. "Well," he said, "do you have the innocence?"

"I-innocence?" Allen soft softly.

"Yes, is it in your possession?"

Allen growled quietly. His felt his emotions growing stronger. The need to protect the so-called "innocence" rose, blocking out other goals.

"Well, is it you or not?"

"I don't know any innocence," Allen said sharply, the slightest bit of cockiness danced in his words. Mana shot him a questioning glance, which Allen shrugged off while keeping his narrowed eyes on the strangers.

Kanda turned to Lavi and they began talk quietly amongst themselves.

Allen took the opportunity to sneak over to the bathroom. He shut the door, and with slight hesitation, he locked it as well. With a sigh, he plopped down on the toilet seats lid and thought hard. _Okay, who are those people? I feel like they want to help me, especially the redhead…Lavi. He seems nice, but the other one looks like he wants to hurt me or something. Kanda, I think… And the innocence, what is it? Is it…_ he looked at his claws. _Is it this ugly thing? It hardly sounds like it!_ He grabbed a handful of his hair and looked up in frustration_. Ugh! My heads gunna explode!_

A knock sounded at the door. "Uh, Allen? Its Lavi… Can I, maybe, talk to you? Yuu is talking to your father."

"I'm using the bathroom!" Allen called out shakily.

"Allen," Lavi said flatly, "It's been ten minutes."

_Already?_ Allen felt his heart lurch. "Oh god!" he said loudly, his voice was filled with pain.

"Uh…Allen are you okay?"

"Uh, I don't- I mean, yes! I'm fine!" Allen looked down at his left hand and began to panic. _No! Stupid thing! You've chosen the worst time to grow! Go back to normal! UGH!_

"Allen come out. I know a little bit of medical stuff, so if your bleeding or something I can help. That's what me and Yuu are here for, we want to help!" Lavi was beginning to sound desperate.

"It's…all…fine!" Allen said through gritted teeth. The pain was growing bigger and bigger along with his claw. It wasn't huge, but it was getting there. In an effort to stall, he shouted the first thing that came to his mind. "I want to take bath!"

There was an awkward silence.

"Alright," Lavi said quietly. "Sorry for bothering you. Me and Yuu will drop by later and talk. Don't forget, okay?"

"Y-yeah!" Allen said a little louder than mentioned. "Okay, yeah! That works! J-just stop by later, I'd love to talk! In fact, how about morning! We could talk in the morning! Have coffee, chit-chat, and talk! In the morning—which it later!"

"Okay, bye…"

Allen put his ear close the door and listened for the sounds of them leaving.

"Listen beansprout, I want to hear the sound of running water so I know that you weren't lying!"

Allen ripped his clothes off and practically threw himself in the bathtub. _Kanda is not nice…I am most defiantly not having coffee with him! _

The sound of stomping told Allen that he and Mana were finally alone.

"Allen?" It was Mana. "You can come out now."

Allen looked down at his much larger claw. "Heh…uh, I think I'll stay in the tub."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Mana leaned up against the wall_. Dang…Allen takes really long baths. And to add onto that…he sleeps forever and eats like a bottomless pit. MAN! He's expansive!_

Mana closed his eyes and continued to ponder his "unique" foster son. _It wasn't just my gut that told me to take that kid…it was Julia's wish, and also…instinct. It's like we're bound together by something. Wow…this is so beyond me. _

"Uh…what were you going to tell me?" squeaked Allen, who slowly inched out of the bathroom.

Mana smirked. _Who cares about the weird stuff…he's a keeper. _

"And I do like stories!" Allen offered as he hopped onto the bed.

"Good," Mana said contently. He joined Allen on the bed and cleared his throat. "Alright," he began, "this is what I was going to tell you before we were interrupted…"

"What did the people want anyways?" Allen said with a frown. He was clearly glad that they had left, but curious as well.

"Forget it," Mana said gruffly. "It doesn't matter. They left and that's that."

"Aren't they coming back tomorrow though? Asked Allen, "Didn't one of them say that?"

"ANYWAYS," Mana said loudly. He made eye contact with Allen and said firmly, "Do you want to hear about Kusuri or not?"

"Yes!" Allen said quickly. His right hand flew over and clutched his bandaged arm.

"Good," Mana said with a dangerous smile. The smile faded and he began, "After the man came back, a new sickness started. This time going to more than one person, my family among them. It lasted for weeks. A few of my friends and I were basically alone. We had been told not to make contact with anyone who had the illness. We had no choice but to obey…" He paused and bit his lip, as if remembering something painful, "Apparently there was more than one choice, as said by the "smartest". He snuck into his home, which was full of sick people, to help, and didn't come out. Later in the day, my friends we…" Mana's teeth dug deeper in his lip, causing a small trickle of blood to come out. He gulped, "We found out that as soon as he went in, he was infected. As soon as he was infected, he…died."

"Died?" echoed Allen, he looked at Mana with wide eyes.

"Yes," Mana sighed, "Died. He died because he disobeyed the rule that was set. The rule that was set to protect our lives."

"Wait, what does this have to do with Kusuri?"

"In time," whispered Mana. "She'll be coming in the story soon."

"You mean that you met her!" gasped Allen.

"Not exactly," Mana chuckled. He held a hand up, as if to say 'stop'. _This kid…heh, deficiently a keeper. I wonder how he'll handle the way the story ends… _"Alright, back to the story. To think that one of us died… Man, I wonder just what drove us to break the same rule."

"What?" whispered Allen.

Mana ignored him, "The way we found out about his death was…well, as nasty as it seems, whoever who was taking care of the sick people just…piled the dead up by the backdoor of the hospital." _Nasty, _thought Mana, _I still wonder why she did that. _"We snuck through the backdoor to see our families, and when we entered…I'm not lying, but the person behind me dropped dead. Scared, my friends and I ran out, but something wrapped around my leg and wouldn't let me leave. I looked and saw…the supposedly dead person with his hand clutching my ankle. The door slammed and I was left alone. It was too late for me. It was just as good as over."

"And then what happen!" Allen yelled.

Mana jumped up and ran to the bathroom. "I think that's enough for tonight!" he called over his shoulder.

"Wha?" Allen's jaw dropped. Mana wasn't going to finish the story? Mana got him all hyped up for it, but he wasn't going to finish? Mana was going to dump a killer-cliffhanger on his shoulders and expect him to forget it? Not a chance.

"Mana!"

Oh, not a chance. Allen was going to hear the end of that story. Oh yes indeed.

**A/N:** Okay...I am, like, so SO sorry about the wait. I know, compared to some authors on here, a little bit over a month isn't too bad, but really, it bothered the HECK out of me! The past few weeks have litorly been the busiet of my whole entire summer! I had an uncle visiting, went to camp, did lots of babysitting, and so on, but, enough of excuses! I am terribly sorry TT_TT Alright, now to thank the awesome pawsome reviewers. The honor goes to Peculiar Top hat, Jenaminya, Howlingwolf94, Anime girl122, Water Lily, Allen the Musician, and ShadowDragon94. And special thanks the reviewers who messaged back-and-forth with me, giving ideas and encouragement, you know who you are. To explain anything about thing chapter: The last two chapters were a bit dark and really dramatic, so I made this one a little more carefree and funny. Feel free to point out mistakes and things that confused you, I'll gladly message back. I love you guys :D

TeenageNeko, Out. 


	4. Author's Note I'm Sorry

IF YOU LOVE ME, THIS STORY, OR BOTH, YOU WILL READ THIS AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hiatus. It's a word I dread mentioning. It's a word I'm saying right now **TT_TT**

I'm having a lot of family troubles, and I've lost a very good friend, both have taken quite a toll. I'm about to start school, and I have some work to do, money doesn't grow on trees. I also have just gotten out of my -Man phase and gone into Bleach, Soul Eater, and Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni.

To make up for this, you can put a request in your review for this asking any questions about the fic, plot or characters or future plans, and suggest stuff. You can also send me a story request and I'll write a short fic under 1,000 words just for you, yaoi or crack or whatever. Just no Hentai, yuri, or lemons. I want to thank you all for being so awesome and leaving reviews that could make me smile and be happy.

The story won't be on hiatus forever. I'm going to a convention in November, that'll probably spark my D Gray-Man fan-senses, just in case it hasn't been started back up. I just want to take a breather and finish my other fics, I want this to be one of my mine fics, but I can't concentrate.

To pass the time, I have some badly written stories for Naruto, Soul Eater, D Gray-Man, and Bleach on my profile. Enjoy the badspelling-ness.

Once again, thanks for being sooooooooo awesome and EPIC _*sniff*_ Chuck Norris would be proud. God bless you guys!

TeenageNeko, Out.


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